Our Goals

Department of Visual and Creative Arts

Discover your vision for the world

The Department of Visual and Creative Arts is committed to intellectual practices that uniquely develop both creative and critical thinking-by-doing capacity crucial to success in contemporary visual arts professions. Our mission is to engage, educate, and mentor the next generation of visual arts leaders for creative social change.

Our programs

As a visual and creative arts major you will begin your studies in our innovative and challenging foundations program. Courses in drawing, design, photography, color theory, and art history are collaboratively taught by full-time artist-educators and art historians. In these courses you will learn through hands-on studio experiences and class projects that foster a foundational understanding of art theory, visual principles, skills and history necessary to excel in our specialized programs. Upon successfully completing a foundation portfolio review, students can choose from our rich selection of program offerings in art history, art education, graphic design, studio arts, with or without a concentration in art therapy.

Intern with local and regional arts organizations, design and advertising firms.

Our close proximity to downtown Indianapolis provides excellent access to community arts events and organizations like the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Harrison Center for the Arts, Stutz Artists Association, and Mass Ave Arts district.

Proven track-record for preparing students to become successful artists, designers, educators, and art therapists.